Serious Gaming for Business Resilience
We work to achieve a purpose, but we play to arrive at meaning.
Based on the design-based education (DBE) and design-based research (DBR) approach this BIP will introduce students to the complex challenges of organisational change and business resilience and how serious gaming methodology can help organisations deal with these challenges. This BIP is hosted by NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences from The Netherlands and this learning opportunity is a joint-collaboration with Polytechnic University of Leiria from Portugal and Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences from Austria.
The BIP will facilitate students from different cultures, backgrounds and disciplines to work together, both during online lectures and assignments, and during the in-presence week at the NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden.
From the understanding of a specific real-life context of an organisation, through the development of respective models of reality, the focus will be on the questions of how to develop serious games both as learning and as research interventions, and how to implement and facilitate these interventions to ensure they deliver the expected value to the stakeholders involved.
Join us for this opportunity to engage with experts and your peers, gain unique experience, and learn how serious gaming can add value in real-life organisational contexts.
Date:
2nd of March 2026 to 28th of March 2026
Language of instruction:
English
3 ECTS credits
Academic recognition:
To be defined by each home institution. In general terms, most students will have this RUN-EU BIP certified in the Diploma Supplement, as a minimal condition upon approval from their study programmes.
Eligible participants:
This BIP is open to bachelor's students (second year and beyond), master's students, and PhD students.
Programme at a glance
Week 1 – About ‘context’ • Day 1 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
02 Mar 2026 :
Welcome and opening session • 60’Parking lot (game) • 15’
Change and why is it difficult (presentation) • 60’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Individual assignment (homework): Brief description of one example of personal experience with why is change difficult, related to one or more reasons outlined in the presentation.
Week 1 – About ‘context’ • Day 2 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
03 Mar 2026 :
Drivers of resilience and sustainability (presentation) • 45’Introduction of the cases (presentation) • 90’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Individual assignment (homework): Brief explanation of which drivers of resilience and sustainability seem relevant as core challenges for each of the cases.
Week 1 – About ‘context’ • Day 3 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
04 Mar 2026 :
Learning for change with serious gaming (presentation) • 30’Game design process (presentation) • 15’
Formation of teams per case (presentation) • 15’
Team assignment in breakouts (workshop) • 45’
Outcomes of breakouts (presentations) • 30’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Organize the team, determine the team’s name, define a high level workplan for the coming two and a half weeks while working online
Team assignment (homework): Define a high-level objective for the gaming intervention to be designed.
Week 1 – About ‘context’ • Day 4 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
05 Mar 2026 :
Game design specifications (presentation) • 30’Team assignment in breakouts (workshop and coaching) • 75’
Outcomes of breakouts (presentations) • 30’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Develop high-level specifications for game design, using the provided template.
Team assignment (homework): Provide a list of case specific open questions.
Week 1 – About ‘context’ • Day 5 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
06 Mar 2026 :
Delivering value with serious gaming (presentation) • 30’Team assignment in breakouts (workshop and coaching) • 90’
Week wrap-up • 30’
Team assignment (breakouts): Engage with case owners, present current specifications for game design, discuss the case specific questions.
Week 2 – About ‘models of reality’ • Day 1 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
09 Mar 2026 :
Reflection on week 1 (discussion) • 30’Models of reality (presentation) • 30’
Team assignment in breakouts (workshop) • 60’
Outcomes of breakouts (presentations) • 15’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Determine the type of the model of reality and start development of a case-specific model of reality that will guide game development.
Team assignment (homework): Finalize case-specific game design specifications.
Week 2 – About ‘models of reality’ • Day 2 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
10 Mar 2026 :
Team effectiveness in times of change (presentation) • 30’Team assignment in breakouts (workshop and coaching) • 90’
Outcomes of breakouts (presentations) • 15’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Continue development of a case-specific model of reality that will guide game development.
Team assignment (homework): Prepare a short presentation of your current version of the model of reality.
Week 2 – About ‘models of reality’ • Day 3 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
11 Mar 2026 :
Understanding and engaging stakeholders (presentation) • 30’Team assignment in breakouts (workshop and coaching) • 105’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Engage with case owners, present a current version of the model of reality, get feedback, and discuss the case specific questions that are still open.
Individual assignment (homework): Using the provided template, determine a social style of one of your team members or case owners.
Week 2 – About ‘models of reality’ • Day 4 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
12 Mar 2026 :
Team assignment in breakouts (workshop) • 105’Outcomes of breakouts (presentations) • 30’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Finalize the development of a case-specific model of reality and prepare a short presentation of the current version of the model of reality.
Week 2 – About ‘models of reality’ • Day 5 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
13 Mar 2026 :
Serious gaming components (presentation) • 30’Team assignment in breakouts (workshop and coaching) • 105’
Week wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Using the provided template, determine which components of the models of reality should be represented through which serious gaming components and begin describing how will the game look like.
Week 3 – About ‘game on paper’ • Day 1 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
16 Mar 2026 :
Reflection on week 2 (discussion) • 30’What makes a serious game a seriously good game (presentation) • 45’
Team assignment in breakouts (workshop) • 60’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Based on the given presentation and template provided, determine which attributes of a seriously good game should be the priority for the game being developed, and begin describing how will that be achieved through the design of the game.
Week 3 – About ‘game on paper’ • Day 2 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
17 Mar 2026 :
Making the most of prototyping in game development (presentation) • 60’Team assignment in breakouts (workshop) • 75’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Continue the development of the case-specific game and its components.
Team assignment (homework): Prepare the case specific questions that are still open and that need to be discussed with case owners.
Week 3 – About ‘game on paper’ • Day 3 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
18 Mar 2026 :
What can serious gaming learn from theatre (presentation) • 30’Team assignment in breakouts (workshop and coaching) • 105’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Engage with case owners, present current thoughts on the game design, get feedback, and discuss the case specific questions that are still open.
Week 3 – About ‘game on paper’ • Day 4 (16:00 - 18:30 CET) (online)
19 Mar 2026 :
Ethics of serious gaming (presentation) • 15’Team assignment in breakouts (workshop and coaching) • 90’
Outcomes of breakouts (presentations) • 30’
Week wrap-up • 15’
Team assignment (breakouts): Finalize the development of ‘game on paper’ and prepare the short presentation of how the game will look like.
Face-to-Face Week (in person)
23 Mar
-
27 Mar 2026 :
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences Leeuwarden Netherlands
This in-person week is dedicated to 'prototyping' and offers students the opportunity to dive into the game prototype development through various workshops and coaching moments. Presentations, team work inclusive collaborations, discussions and reflections take place. A cultural programme awaits the participants and at the end of the week, an evaluation follows.Week 4 – About ‘prototyping’ • Day 1 Monday 23 March 2026 (09:00 – 17:00 CET)
Welcome and week introduction • 30’
Big picture (game run) • 30’
Coffee break • 15’
Game prototype development (workshop and coaching) • 120’
Lunch break • 60’
Game prototype development (workshop and coaching) • 120’
Status overview per team (presentation) • 90’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Week 4 – About ‘prototyping’ • Day 2 Tuesday 24 March 2026 (09:00 – 17:00 CET)
Replicate (game run) • 60’
Coffee break • 15’
Game prototype development (workshop and coaching) • 120’
Lunch break • 60’
Game prototype development (workshop and coaching) • 210’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Week 4 – About ‘prototyping’ • Day 3 Wednesday 25 March 2026 (time to be determined)
Cultural program
Week 4 – About ‘prototyping’ • Day 4 Thursday 26 March 2026 (09:00 – 17:00 CET)
Bridge (game run) • 60’
Coffee break • 15’
Effective facilitation of serious games (presentation) • 45’
Game prototype development (workshop and coaching) • 75’
Lunch break • 60’
Game prototype development (workshop and coaching) • 210’
Day wrap-up • 15’
Week 4 – About ‘prototyping’ • Day 5 Friday 27 March 2026 (09:00 – 17:00 CET)
Game prototype development (workshop and coaching) • 60’
Coffee break • 15’
Game prototype development (workshop and coaching) • 60’
Playing of prototypes (workshop carousel) • 60’
Lunch break • 60’
Playing of prototypes (workshop carousel) • 120’
Reflection on play (workshop) • 45’
Key learnings per team (presentation) • 30’
Closing session • 30’
Learning outcomes
By the end of this Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme, learners will be able to:
At the end of this program students will be able to:
- Analyse the context of the need for change to increase business resilience of an organisation.
- Engage stakeholders in an effective way to create an understanding of a specific problem or opportunity that needs to be acted upon.
- Determine how a serious gaming intervention can contribute to the realization of related knowledge transfer or knowledge creation objectives.
- Define a specific value that needs to be delivered by the serious gaming intervention and the risks involved in delivering the expected value.
- Define design requirements and develop a model of reality that would facilitate the serious gaming design, development, and implementation process.
- Prototype, evaluate, and modify a serious gaming intervention following a structured, iterative, and highly interactive design process.
- Facilitate the implementation of the serious gaming intervention, reflection on its outcomes, and the translation of insights into real-life action.
Selection criteria
Selection is based on prerequisite compliance, application and motivation, and a balanced representation across partner institutions. The BIP will accept 35 participants maximum.
Involved organisations and persons
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
Lead Organisation- Ivo Wenzler (Lead Instructor)
- Jacqueline Rietveld (Instructor)
Polytechnic University of Leiria
Partner Organisation- Ana Lisboa (Instructor)
Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences
Partner Organisation- Willy Kriz (Instructor)
Product label: BIP-SEGMBURE-01
